The last rituals of Holy Hajj – annual five-day pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia – are officially over.
Khalid al-Faisal, governor of Makkah, announced on Sunday the formal end of the pilgrimage at a news conference in the holy city.
Hajj draws people from around the world to Saudi Arabia each year. The crowds, squeezed shoulder to shoulder in prayer five times a day, fill the city of Makkah and surrounding areas to perform a number of rites.
The pilgrimage is required once in a lifetime of all Muslims with the means to go. Its goal is remission of past sins and drawing Muslims closer to the Almighty Allah.
The governor said no accidents were reported this year. – agencies